Zach's Distraction
by nycgirl1996
Summary: Joe Solomon knows that something, or rather someone, has Zachary Goode distracted. Eventual Zammie!
1. Chapter 1

_Where in the world is that kid? _I grumbled in my head, walking quickly down one of the twisting hallways at the Blackthorne Institute for Boys. I turned a corner and spotted him sitting on the ledge of one of the windows in which the glass had either been accidentally or deliberately broken, or none had ever been put in.

"Zaach… Zaaaccchhh…ZACH!" I finally yelled, trying to catch Zach Goode's attention.

"What?" He snapped without looking at me. "Oh. Hey, Joe." He said, as he finally turned from where he'd been sitting, staring out over the Blackthorne grounds.

"Where's your head, kid? You've been out of it since we got back from the D.C. mission." Zach just shook his head and got up, attempting to walk away. I was having none of it. I grabbed his arm and spun him around to face me. "What in the hell has you so distracted?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't." I shot back sarcastically. Zach yanked his arm free and half walked, half ran, away from me.

_Who does he think he's kidding?_ I wondered, running a hand through my black hair as I thought back to the D.C. mission and what, or whom, might have captured Zach's attention. Suddenly it hit me. _Of course. Who else?_


	2. Chapter 2

*AN: Just in case anyone's confused, this part of the story takes place in the time between Zach and Cammie meeting at the D.C. mission and the boys arriving at the Gallagher Academy. Sorry the first chapter was so short! I tried to make this one longer. Hope you like it! Review please! *

Recap: "_Who does he think he's kidding?_ I wondered, running a hand through my black hair as I thought back to the D.C. mission and what, or whom, might have captured Zach's attention. Suddenly it hit me. _Of course. Who else?_"

SOLOMON POV:

I smiled to myself. Zach was like a son to me, and I knew him well enough to know that it took a lot to distract him like this. And I knew that there was only one girl who would be capable of knocking him off his game this way. It may not be intentional, but Cammie "the Chameleon" Morgan was just the type that would intrigue Zach. The more I thought about it, the more I could recall Cammie blushing as she was faced with a slew of questions from her classmates about the mission.

Arriving back at Gallagher at six the following morning, the school staff was very quietly and subtly finishing up the preparations for the arrival of the Blackthorne students. As I roamed the school, I listened for the tell-tale signs of girls waking up and the new school day beginning. If they only knew the surprise they were in for during breakfast.

Within the next hour the girls had begun to file down to breakfast before the 8:05 start of their first classes. I took my place at the teachers' table with a slight smirk on my face, and Rachel shot me a look. I shook my head and watched as Cammie, Rebecca, Liz, Macey and several other junior girls sat down at their table.

At precisely 7:50, Rachel stood up and took the podium. The hum of voices immediately died down, and every girl in the room turned to face their Headmistress. "Ladies, you are all aware of the Gallagher Academy's proud history. This school has been home to cotillions, covert events, and quite a few exceptional young women like you. However, the Gallagher Academy has never played host to the next generation of male covert operatives, which is why we have decided to invite fifteen very gifted future operatives to stay with us this semester. So, without further ado, I'd like you all to welcome the students of the Blackthorne Institute for Boys."

The doors in the back of the hall swung open and I watched fifteen teenage boys from my former school walk down the center of the huge room and fall into line in front of the girls. I picked Zach out from the group, and where was he looking? Surprise, surprise. Directly at one Cameron Morgan. She was staring right back, her cheeks flushed a delicate pink and her eyes flashing. Just by analyzing her facial expression I could tell that she was torn between being self-conscious about Zach's attention and being irritated with him. She was ticked off, though I imagined I would be too if I was beaten at my own game by a kid I'd never met from a school I barely knew anything about.

The warning bell sounded and the shell-shocked girls began to gather their bags and books and head for their first classes. As the boys hovered around the teachers' table awaiting instructions from Rachel, I caught Zach's eye and motioned him over.

"What's up, Mr. Solomon?" He asked, his act flawlessly in place. No one from Blackthorne, or Gallagher for that matter, (with the exception of Rachel) knew or suspected that we knew each other as anything more than teacher and student. How wrong they were…

"Careful, Zach. She's got more fire in her than you think she does." I said under my breath. His eyes popped open wide for a split second before his expression smoothed out. A smirk tugged at the corners of my mouth; he thought I didn't know he had it bad for Cammie.

"I can manage on my own, thanks, Mr. Solomon." He said coolly. Only I heard the double meaning in his words. I raised my eyebrows as if to say, _suit yourself_, as I rose from the table and headed to my office to prepare my plans for the sophomore Cove-Ops lesson that day.

*Meanwhile…*

Zach POV:

I rolled my eyes at Joe's back as I followed about ten steps behind him out of the Grand Hall, walking to Countries of the World (COW) with my three roommates, Grant, Jonas, and Nick. I chuckled to myself. He honestly thought that I couldn't handle some girl just because she was a _Gallagher Girl_? I'm _the_ Zach Goode.

Song(s) of the hour:  
>*Distracted – KSM<br>*Caught Up In You – Cassi Thomson


	3. Chapter 3

***A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! The support you guys gave means the world to me and is definitely inspiring me to keep going with Zach's Distraction. Also, I'm so so sorry I haven't updated sooner. I missed some school this week for a family event and with make-up work on top of regular homework I just haven't had time to write. This will go slightly off of CMH's storyline, but the basic plot will still be in place. Keep reviewing please!***

Recap: "I rolled my eyes at Joe's back as I followed about ten steps behind him out of the Grand Hall, walking to Countries of the World (COW) with my three roommates, Grant, Jonas, and Nick. I chuckled to myself. He honestly thought that I couldn't handle some girl just because she was a _Gallagher Girl_? I'm _the_ Zach Goode."

Zach's POV:

I scanned the room, looking for a familiar head of brunette and blonde hair. I caught those gorgeous dark blue eyes about halfway… Whoa, hold up. Did I just say _gorgeous_? I mentally gave myself a shake. _Cool it, Goode. You're gonna lose your edge if you let some Gallagher Girl distract you._ But then the devil on my shoulder spoke up. _But you know you could make her yours…_ Ugh! I strode forward, taking my place in between Grant and Jonas, watching the faces of the twenty girls in front of us as Jonas nervously stepped forward and introduced himself following our headmaster Dr. Steve's pointless debate with Mr. Smith, the COW teacher.

"Hey, I'm Jonas… I'm sixteen and a sophomore – "

"Thus your enrollment in this class. Welcome, Jonas."

"Excellent," I rolled my eyes, along with the rest of the guys. I swear, Dr. Steve says excellent more than any teenage girl says 'Omigod!'. "Are there any of you young ladies who would be willing to show Jonas around?" I heard a 'Hmph!' as a tiny blond girl's chair was kicked by her friend, who was sitting behind her. Upon closer inspection, I realized that this was Grant's girl... Rebecca. "Excellent, just excellent. And your name is?" Dr. Steve prattled on, zeroing in on the blonde.

"Sutton, Liz Sutton." Jonas moved to the empty seat next to Liz as Grant stepped forward. I saw all the girls' mouths open slightly as they fully registered Grant's Greek god-esque looks. I sighed, this was a regular occurrence when girls were around Grant… or myself, of course.

"I'm Grant." He said simply, seating himself next to Rebecca as she tossed her long dark hair.

"I'm Zach, and I think I've found my guide." Cammie tensed as I slid into the chair beside her. Mr. Smith resumed his lesson, and I resumed my observation of Cammie. _Why doesn't she seem to be effected by me at all?_ I wondered, my blood boiling with frustration. The bell rang and she stood. Aggravation clear on her face, she turned and said, "Culture and Assimilation is on the fourth floor, along with most of our classes." _Wait, culture class? Ha. When Dr. Steve said this was a different environment from Blackthorne, he really wasn't kidding. Well, this should be interesting._ I flashed my signature smirk. "Did you just say you're taking me to _Culture_ class?" My smirk widened.

"C&A has been part of the Gallagher Academy curriculum since it was founded, Zach. Gallagher Girls can blend into any culture, any situation. So excuse me if you're too… well, crude to grasp that concept." My eyes nearly popped out of my head for a split second before they narrowed once more.

"Did you just call me _crude_?"

"Yeah, I did, actually." She lifted her chin haughtily. Oh, she has no idea who she's messing with. I leaned close and started to whisper in her ear in Italian. "_Non credo che si vuole irritare me ... Posso farti rimpiangere che in più di un modo_ ..." ("I don't think you want to irritate me... I can make you regret that in more ways than one...")  
>She murmured, "Oh, ouais? Nous allons tester cette théorie un certain temps." ("Oh, yeah ? We should test that theory sometime.") And then proceeded to slip under my arm and into the C&amp;A classroom.<p>

I stared after her, furious that she'd answered my challenge. I _almost,_ _almost_ jumped when Solomon appeared at my side and said quietly, "I told you she has more fire than you'd think. After all, she is the top spy in her year."

I just smirked and shook my head. "I like a challenge..."

"Then know you have one hell of a challenge heading your way. Ms. Morgan has a history. However, I'm leaving it up to her to tell you, if and when she feels comfortable enough to talk to you."

He turned on his heel and walked away. What secrets could this girl be hiding? No, the better question would be: _Since when do I care?_ Spies keep secrets. We lie, we walk the thin line between protecting our secrets and becoming paranoid (*cough* Mr. Smith *cough*).

That night, I wandered out of my suite in the East Wing, careful not to wake my sleeping roommates. Unable to sleep I decided to go check out the library, see if they had any old copies of the covert magazines we all seemed to like so much. Walking past a fireplace long gone cold, a sudden movement caught my attention and I stopped dead, knowing that people see motion before they see things. No suprise there. Cameron "Chameleon" Morgan was slipping out of the fireplace, presumably concealing one of the secret passageways she was so famous for disappearing into. "Hey, Gallagher Girl. Is this when I get my real tour? The no-wall-too-high, no-passageway-too-secret tour?"

Rolling her beautiful sapphire eyes, she said, "The Deputy Director of the CIA made me promise to stop giving those tours to people I know nothing about."

"Uh-huh..." I mused, reaching out to brush a stray piece of hair from her face. She froze up, making we wonder if I done something wrong. _ Easy, dude. You're letting her get under your skin! Spies don't allow that. Our hearts are untouchable. Wait, when did my heart become involved in this? _ And following that moonlit conversation with my Gallagher Girl I was left with one haunting question:

_Was I falling for Cameron Ann Morgan?_

Song(s) of the Hour:

*The House That Built Me – Miranda Lambert

*Rolling in the Deep – Adele

*Mine – Taylor Swift

*Marry You – Both B.O.B and Glee Cast Versions

*A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who reads my story! Also, I'm traveling this weekend, so I'll try to get another chapter written while I'm on the road, but I'm not sure. Either way, there will almost certainly be another chapter up next weekend, so please be patient with me! Also, thanks for the reviews. There were a couple of reviews from people whose work I've read on here and loved, so I was really flattered to hear that you like this fanfic. Again, review review review! It's what keeps me motivated to write the chapters. And sorry for the really long A/N's!*

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	4. Chapter 4

***A/N: I'm soooo sorry it took me so ridiculously long to update. School's just been insane because all of the teachers were piling us with work before finals started, and then we now we're into finals week and I was just able to sit down to write. Anyway, enjoy! Review, please!***

Recap: _"And following my moonlit conversation with my Gallagher Girl I was left with one haunting question: Was I falling for one Cameron Ann Morgan?"_

Zach POV:

I lay on my bed staring at the ceiling of my room in the East Wing as I mulled over the conversation and analyzed every move my Gallagher Girl made. I was particularly intrigued by her sudden freeze when I touched her. Since I didn't really do anything to startle her, I can't imagine what would trigger that reaction. Making a mental note to add that to my list of things I wanted to find out about her, I rolled onto my side and fell asleep.

I woke up the next morning to Grant jumping on my bed… and me. "Get off, you idiot!" I mumbled, sitting up and shoving him off the bed. I heard a thud and turned to see Grant sitting on the floor on his butt, a wounded expression on his face. I couldn't help it, I cracked up. He threw his pillow at me. I caught it neatly and tossed it back on his bed.

"What in the hell is going on in here?" My other roommate, Nick, appeared in the bathroom doorway, pulling his polo uniform shirt over his head. Jonas was off in the labs doing his thing. He tends to do that, just disappear and then you see him hours later and he'll explain that he came up with the solution to some major problem and was working it out before he went to bed. "Monkey boy over here decided he wanted to wake me up." I rolled my eyes, gestured at Grant, and headed for the shower.

As I walked to breakfast (Grant needed to fluff his hair or something, and Nick wanted to get some extra minutes in the P&E barn), a low murmur of female voices made me stop mid-stride and listen. Creeping closer, I peered around the corner and saw my Gallagher Girl, Bex, Macey and Liz, all huddled together, talking urgently about something. Macey turned to Gallagher Girl and asked something that sounded like, "Did he actually do that?" Cam nodded and answered,

"Yeah, it was weird! One minute he acts like he can't stand to be in my presence and then the next he's brushing hair out of my face and being all affectionate? I can't keep up with his multiple personality disorder. Besides, how do we even know he's interested in me at all?"

_Multiple personality disorder, huh?_ I rolled my eyes. And how was it not obvious to her that she had me wrapped around her little fingers? I shook my head to myself and slipped into the Grand Hall for breakfast.

**Solomon POV:**

I slid my arms into my beat-up black leather jacket and grabbed the stack of manila file folders from the edge of my desk. Walking purposefully through the quiet corridors, I mulled over the plan in my head. Just as I worked out the last few details, I knocked on the oak-paneled door to Madame Dabney's tea room.

"Come in!" came the soft voice of the Culture instructor. I opened the door just wide enough to slip my head and shoulders through the gap and said, staring around the room,

"Pop quiz." The girls looked around at each other, some nervous, but some excited. I glanced at Cameron and noticed her eyes light up as they zeroed in on the stack of folders tucked under my arm. "Put your bags and books in your suites, grab your uniform jackets, and meet me on the lawn in ten minutes."

Precisely ten minutes later thirteen girls and eight guys stood in front of me on the lawn. I passed out the files, each containing a separate location in Roseville that each pair was responsible for covering. Once everyone was holding a folder, I gestured at the Gallagher van parked in the driveway. "Hop in!"

Keeping both Cam and Zach in my vision at all times while driving was proving a challenge, because Cam was making no secret of the fact she was avoiding him. I could see frustration underneath Zach's coolly disinterested facade, although I only recognized it because I knew him well enough to see it. _Hmm, maybe I ought to give Zach a little subtle help…_ I grinned to myself. Parking the van on a side street off of Roseville's main square, I turned to the twenty-one students in the back of the vehicle. "Remember, you're just a group of private school kids enjoying a trip to town."

Then Tina picked up on the double meaning in my words and said, "But what are we really?" I extracted a quarter from my pocket and gave it a flip.

"A bunch of _spies_ playing tag. Brush pass; define it, Ms. Baxter."

"The act of covertly passing an object between two agents." She said, never missing a beat. The girl was good… I'd have to say something to her parents the next time I saw them.

"Very good, Ms. Baxter. Okay, pair off. We're going to be practicing brush passes today, ladies and gentlemen. Quick and clean is the name of the game, and remember, you never know who's watching." I noticed Cam immediately ease toward Bex as she opened the van door. _Well, I'll just have to correct that_. "Oh no, Ms. Morgan. I believe you already have a partner." Zach very quickly gave me half a smile as he caught up with Cam as she jumped out of the van. I could practically see smoke coming out of her ears. I chuckled under my breath. She turned and glared at me, before swinging around and heading around the corner. I turned on my comms and carefully studied the students moving around Roseville. None of them gave any indication that they had just been victim to a wicked blast of feedback in their ears triggered by the activation of my comms. Keeping an eye on the screen tracking Zach and Cammie, I fired a question at Mick Morrison. "Mick, you just passed three parked cars on the left side of the street; what were their tag numbers?" She rattled off the three correct series of numbers, and I checked off a box on the grading sheet in front of me.

I noticed Zach keeping close to Cammie as they settled on the steps of the white gazebo in the center of the town square. Every time she tried to distance herself, he'd move just a little bit closer. He was pushing her buttons, and I was curious to see what kind of a stunt she might pull if he overstepped his boundaries. I should probably distract them. "Zach, without turning around, how many windows overlook the square from the west side of the building behind you?"

"Fourteen." He said smoothly, turning his face up to the warm spring sunshine. Cam got up off the step and strolled leisurely toward Bex, faking a stumble and allowing Bex to slip the quarter into her palm as she reached out to steady Cammie.

"Nicely done, Ms. Morgan." I praised.

**Zach POV:**

I stared at the back of my Gallagher Girl's head as she swept away from me. I lengthened my stride to keep up and just as I pulled even with her, a high-pitched, girlish voice rang out through the clear air.

"Cammie, is that you?"

"Oh, um, hey, Dee Dee." With just one glance I could tell Cam was uncomfortable. I sidled closer and slid my hand around hers. "Hi, Josh." She said quietly, avoiding making eye contact with the blond kid behind the "Dee Dee" girl. "Josh, Dee Dee, this is Zach. He's…" she trailed off. I jumped in.

"I'm a classmate of Cammie's." I said calmly.

"I thought Gallagher was an all-girls school?" Jimmy said accusingly.

"My school is doing an exchange with Gallagher for the semester," I shot back, taking a step forward to put myself between Cam and whoever this guy was. Deliberately I glanced at my watch and then turned to Cammie. "Cam, we have to get back to school."

She nodded, waved goodbye to the two kids, and walked away. She was tense, her shoulders stiff, and she looked sad. "Hey," I whispered, slipping an arm around her shoulders gently. "Why'd you freeze out there?" She just shook her head. I noticed that she didn't shrug my arm off, either, so I settled for the small victory of her allowing me to get close. I'd just have to get Jonas to hack into her school files while we had access to Gallagher's network anyway. We were approaching the van, so I let go of Cammie and she made a beeline for Bex, who was leaning against the side of the van waiting for her. They exchanged a look and Cam's cheeks flushed. I saw her lips move. "Oh, God." She smacked her forehead and reached up to yank the comms out of her ear. That's when it dawned on me… the entire class had heard what had been said between Cam, Dee Dee, Josh and I. This was bound to get interesting…

**Solomon POV:**

I opted not to say anything to Cam about the issue in Roseville; she already looked upset with herself. However, Rachel needed to be briefed in case anything came up. I strode through the Hall of History and knocked on Rach's office door. She opened it quickly and looked at me quizzically. "Come on in, Joe."

I didn't mince words. "Cam ran into Josh and Dee Dee on the training op in Roseville." Rachel sighed.

"How'd she handle it?"

"I'm not gonna lie to you, she wasn't as on the ball as she could have been, but Zach was there and was able to cover for her. Maybe it would be better if you approached her about it. You're her mother, you know her best."

"I don't think that's wise. She needs to heal from that at her own pace, and given that her whole relationship with that boy was put under a CIA microscope doesn't help with the process. I would imagine it's still pretty raw for her, and seeing him with another girl was just adding insult to injury, so to speak. And just out of curiosity, what's going on between she and Zach?"

"Nothing, yet. But he's definitely got his eye on her. She's not particularly fond of him, so I don't think we have anything to worry about."

"Just make sure he knows that if he hurts her, he's got me to answer to."

"Don't worry, Rachel. I'd kick his ass from here to kingdom come if he ever hurt my god daughter."

Rachel laughed lightly and smiled at me. "Thanks for the heads-up about everything that happened today. I'll keep an eye on Cammie and talk to her if I think it's necessary. And thanks for running that whole training op today, too. It can't have been easy."

"Yeah, but we've done harder…" I let my statement hang there as I stood and walked out of the office. This was going to be one hell of an interesting semester.

**Nick POV (Didn't expect that, did you? ;) **

I've known Zach for almost three years now, and I've never, ever seen him as aggravated as he was when we got back to our suite after the trip to Roseville. He paced around our suite like a caged lion, waiting for Jonas to get past the firewalls and into Cammie's student file. Finally Jonas was able to break through and pull up the information. Zach read over his shoulder:

**Name:** Cameron Ann Morgan  
><strong>Student #:<strong> 158730  
><strong>Grade:<strong> 10  
><strong>Date of Birth:<strong> January 14th, 1994  
><strong>Codename:<strong> Chameleon  
><strong>Mother:<strong> Rachel Elizabeth Morgan (Headmistress – Gallagher Academy)  
><strong>Father:<strong> Matthew Christopher Morgan (MIA since 2008)  
><strong>Student History:<strong> Involved in a clandestine romantic relationship with Roseville resident Josh Abrams, (hereafter referred to as The Subject), a civilian. Forced to give up said relationship after The Subject crashed Ms. Morgan's sophomore-level Covert Operations midterm examination. Brought in for official Agency questioning in regards to how much The Subject knew about the Gallagher Academy. After it was determined that Ms. Morgan had given The Subject no unlawful information about the Academy, she was released and returned to school. Currently in the second semester of her sophomore year.

I heard Zach swear viciously and approached the computer. Scanning the information quickly, I gathered the basics of everything that had occurred prior to our arrival at The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women.

"No wonder she froze up… I wonder if that's why she's so guarded around me." Zach speculated. He flopped backward on his bed and I shook my head and walked toward the door.

"Lovesick. It gets them all, I swear it does." I muttered under my breath as I left the room. Well, today sure was eventful. I wonder exactly how much we don't know about these Gallagher Girls…

Songs of the Hour:

Better Than Revenge – Taylor Swift  
>Behind These Hazel Eyes – Kelly Clarkson<br>Fallen – Jason Derulo  
>Your Guardian Angel – Red Jumpsuit Apparatus<p>

***A/N: Again, I owe you guys a huge apology for taking so long, and thank you so much for the reviews. I can't begin to tell you how much that means to me. Also, if you have ideas or suggestions for where you think I should take the story next, I welcome them. I will be out of school for summer vacation on Friday and will have much more time to write, so I highly doubt it will ever be this long between updates again. Thanks for being patient with me!*  
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	5. Chapter 5

***A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I hope this new chapter makes up for my ridiculously long gap between the last two. Not sure if I should have changed the rating… let me know what you think. SPOILER ALERT: OGSY spoiler! Reviews, please! ***

Recap: _I wonder just how much we don't know about these Gallagher Girls…"_

**Zach POV:**

A week after the trip to Roseville, I was leaving the library when I heard soft sobs coming from down the hall. I moved silently toward the corner and peered around. Cammie was curled up against the wall, her arms around her knees and tears running down her face. I wracked my brain for anything that might have upset her when I finally came up with the answer. Today was April 3rd, the fourth anniversary of her father's disappearance. Inhaling deeply, I joined her against the wall and wrapped my arms around Cammie, cradling her against my chest. She tensed a bit, but I just held her closer and stroked her silky brunette hair. She sniffled a little and then tried to pull out of my grasp. I was having none of it. "I cupped her face in my hands and forced her to look me in the eye. Wiping a few stray tears with my thumbs, I gazed into her eyes and murmured, "You don't always have to be so strong. It's okay to let it out once in a while."

"I shouldn't be so emotional about it now. A good spy never exposes their feelings, never shows weakness. You know that as well as I do."

"Gallagher Girl, I _do_ know what it's like to lose a parent. My own father went MIA when I was nine. It's still raw for me, even seven years later."

"Yeah, but I don't see you crying about it! God, why do you always have to one-up me?"

"You know you like having someone to compete with…" I smirked at her. This was distracting her. Goode.

"That doesn't mean I like being beaten! And I know you sure as hell don't like it either!"

"Fair enough. In that case, let's see who's better at _this_…" I leaned in, tangling my hands in the hair at the back of her head. Our lips met, and I felt like an electric current was running through us everywhere we were touching. She gasped and pulled me closer, and I knew she felt it too. I licked her bottom lip, asking for entrance. She granted it, parting her lips. I took the kiss deeper. Her arms locked around my neck and I pulled her onto my lap, securing her in my arms.

We only pulled apart when oxygen became absolutely essential. She took long, deep breaths as I kissed her forehead. Rising to my feet, I reached for her. I pulled her up and wrapped my arm around her waist. "I'll walk you to the stairs."

She nodded. "Thanks." We strode in the direction of the stairs, her head resting on my shoulder. Little did we know, Joe and Rachel had been standing silently in the shadows at the end of the hallway, watching the whole exchange. We'd been so wrapped up in each other that we didn't even notice them.

**Solomon POV:**

I looked at Rachel as Zach and Cammie vanished around the corner. She murmured disbelievingly, "What did we just see?"  
>"I think we just saw the beginning of a very, very interesting relationship." I shook my head. I was torn between being proud of Zach for being able to bring her guard down and gain her trust, and being worried that Cammie was so obviously upset about her dad. Especially since it was my fault she didn't have a father…<p>

Rachel ran her hands through her chestnut hair. "Joe, she's my baby. You understand that. I don't want that boy to break her heart. She's been through enough, and she has enough to worry about with her last two years here at Gallagher ahead of her."

"Zach knows better. And I know him. Based on what we just witnessed, I'd say it's a pretty safe bet that he's just as emotionally involved in this as she is, though he'd never admit it." Sighing, I bid Rachel good night and headed back to my room. There were too many what-ifs in my head right now for me to risk Rachel picking up on a change in my demeanor. _What if the Circle comes looking for Zach? What if they think Cammie has the answers I know they're looking for? What if Zach does break Cameron's heart? _I couldn't decide what was worse: that or… _What if they fall in love?_

I shook the thoughts away. Worrying about all that now wasn't going to help me ensure Zach's happiness and Cammie's emotional health, much less do my job training forty-five teenage girls in the art of clandestine fieldwork. I put down my pile of manila file folders containing lesson plans and notes for my various classes. Yeah, I know I'm a spy, but having things like this written out and organized helps me keep my head on straight and gives me time to deal with other stuff. Quickly flicking back through the stack, I extracted the folder belonging to my sophomore C.O class. My plan for the next day was to take the class through a lesson on strategies for fooling other operatives when lying, and also on detecting the lies of enemy agents. It was going to be an entertaining lesson, what with Dr. Fibs' new devices… I grinned to myself and drifted to sleep.

**Zach POV:**

After my little late-night escapade with Gallagher Girl the night before, I left my room at 5:30 a.m. with my roommates to go to some stupid 'Blackthorne Delegation' meeting with Dr. Steve. When we returned, it looked like some of our stuff had been moved around a little. We only noticed this since we were spies, anyway. Regardless, I turned to Grant, Nick, and Jonas and said, "Let's sweep the place." We searched out and crushed the bugs one by one. I couldn't believe just any Gallagher Girl would bug a visiting student's room, so that left only a few possible candidates. Cammie, Bex, Liz, and Macey weren't just on our suspect list, they _were_ our suspect list. Having cleared our room of bugs, we headed out to breakfast and then class.

I kept Cammie in my peripheral vision as I walked down to Cove-Ops late the following morning. She looked a little tired, but her hair was smooth and glossy, like she'd straightened it this morning rather than throwing it into a ponytail like she usually did. Her dark blue eyes were alert despite the lack of sleep, and as she settled into her chair beside Bex, I caught her sneaking a glance at me and smirked at her. She bit her bottom lip and her cheeks took on just the slightest hint of pink. I wanted to take her in my arms and kiss her, easing her lip from between her white teeth and soothing it.

Shaking my head to myself, I pinched the bridge of my nose between my thumb and index finger and thought, _What on earth has this Gallagher Girl done to me?_

Solomon POV:

As amusing as the exchanges between Zach and Cammie always were, it was time to break up the love-fest so that that I could begin the lesson. Clearing my throat, I waited until the group was entirely focused on me. "Espionage is a business of lies, ladies and gentlemen. We lie to maintain our covers, we lie to camouflage our true careers, and we lie to protect ourselves. However, we must be as adept at detecting lies as we are at telling them. Today's exercise is a test in how well you can control your pulse, voice, and nervous-system reactions. Ms. Lee, can you tell me three indicators that an operative is lying?"

"Dilated pupils, accelerated heart rate, and atypical mannerisms."

"Precisely. Now, half the science in this area is knowing how to spot those symptoms. But for our purposes, I believe these will come in handy." I held up a small box holding two dozen small plastic rings. "Dr. Fibs has equipped these with a voice-monitoring system designed to detect changes in voice that indicate a lie." I passed the box around and everyone took one. "The rings can be fooled with training, of course. A seasoned operative will know how to control their pulse and voice. For example," I strode over to Tina Walters' desk and looked down at her. "Ms. Walters, ask me a question, any question." She hesitated briefly, and I could see that she was having some sort of internal debate. I waited patiently until she finally blurted,

"Do you have a girlfriend?" I bit back a smile as half of the twenty kids groaned, and half . These girls are so funny sometimes, thinking they can seduce someone twenty years their senior.

"No." I replied. She stared at the ring, waiting for something to happen. She looked up at me expectantly.

"So it's true, then?"

"Ask me again."

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Yes." She watched the ring again, then shook her hand a bit when nothing happened.

"It's not broken, Ms. Walters." I said knowingly. "It's simply not as good at detecting lies as I am at telling them." She huffed a little and I turned around to hide my grin. She was frustrated that I hadn't given her any answers. Smoothing my facial expression back to a businesslike one, I turned to face the class. "Pair up with the person across from you and start asking questions." There was a shuffle of desks and chairs as girls and guys paired off, and I settled on the corner of my desk to monitor the ensuing events.

**Zach POV:**

I slid my desk around so it faced Cammie's, smirking to myself. _Well, this should be fun_. _I'll get to know her a little bit while she can't get away with lying to me… Maybe I can exact a little revenge for them bugging our rooms. _

She was visibly nervous as I settled across from her. She started with simple questions that she already knew the answers to, probably to see exactly how refined (or unrefined) the rings were. I was quickly losing interest, so I was a little surprised when she suddenly asked,

"Where were you during the Code Black?" She was referring to the Code Black alert that had gone off during the all-school ball/exam thing.

"That's better. I was with you, remember?" I held up her hand. "See, not lying." I leaned toward her, deciding to be blunt and maybe catch her off guard. "Wanna tell me why you bugged my room?" Her eyes snapped open wide before she forced a laugh. I smirked. Her reaction was all the confirmation I needed.

"Bugging our room leads me to believe you wanted sensitive and potentially classified information about me, Gallagher Girl. After that kiss upstairs last night, I wouldn't be surprised." She tried to look outraged, but the flush in her cheeks was killing any attempt she could have made at incredulity. The bell rang and I walked out of the classroom, satisfied that I'd won that particular battle.

***A/N: I hope you enjoyed the new chapter! I know I cut out the dance scene, but I really don't like that scene and I wasn't satisfied with anything I could come up with as a spinoff for that, so I kind of reworked some of the other scenes. In case you couldn't tell or it was confusing, I replaced the library scene with the one in the hallway at the beginning of the chapter. And I know some of you might not be happy with the fact that I had Zach and Cammie kiss so soon, but I felt like it was good timing and was still staying true to the story in a sense. Anyway, I hope you guys don't hate me for where I've decided to take the story, and I welcome any suggestions for future chapters. Also, I'd like to know what you guys would think of me writing a Zach/Cammie engagement/wedding story. I had this idea a while ago and it's kind of stuck with me, so if you could give your opinions in the reviews I would really appreciate it! And sorry for the super long A/N!***


	6. Chapter 6

***A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed Chapter 5, and special thanks to samcheese1 for the basic idea for the chapter. Just a notice to everyone: I'm time-skipping a bit for the purpose of what happens in the chapter, so please bear with me. ***

_Recap: The bell rang and I walked out of the classroom, satisfied that I'd won that particular battle._

**Zach POV:**

Winding through the spiraling underground hallways of Sublevel One, I emerged in the main hallway and headed for the P&E barn. I heard Gallagher Girl, Bex, and Liz giggling behind me, and I rolled my eyes as I slipped toward a punching bag to start working on some hits and kicks. Bex and Cam set up a mat and started to spar, laughing the whole way through it. Out of the corner of my eye I saw my Gallagher Girl suddenly sway on her feet and then tumble to the floor as her eyes rolled back into her head. I vaguely registered Bex crying Cammie's name, but I was already kneeling at her side, pushing her sweat-dampened hair out of her flushed face. Her skin was far too hot and damp. My mind raced and one word kept circulating: _heatstroke_.

We were in the middle of a heat wave, and Virginia in close to the end of April can get pretty warm anyway. It was pushing 85 degrees outside, and the temperature in the barn had to have been close to 90. And then add to that running around and the physical exertion and you have a recipe for disaster, particularly if you're dehydrated. I knew that if we didn't get Cammie someplace cool and get some fluids into her, what I thought was heat exhaustion could quickly morph into a more serious heatstroke. The P&E instructor came to kneel across from me and asked, "Can you carry her?"

"Yeah." I answered. Judging by appearance, Cammie can't have weighed more than a hundred and ten pounds. I scooped her up in my arms and set off at a run for the infirmary. I kicked open the door and the nurse spun around.

"Oh, my!" she exclaimed. "What happened?"

"She was practicing combat moves in P&E and she just collapsed. I think she might have heat exhaustion."

"Okay, lay her here," the nurse ordered, calm and businesslike. I kept my composure, even though my heart was racing and I was about to have a panic attack. My Gallagher Girl still hadn't regained consciousness, and her body temperature was excessively elevated. The nurse quickly set about cooling her down, placing fans around her and laying cool, wet washcloths on her forehead before starting her on some I.V. fluids. Just to be safe, she hooked up an oxygen tank and ran a thin tube under Cam's nose and up behind her head to give her some supplemental oxygen. **(A/N: You know those things you always see on people in hospitals… it's like a clear band that runs under their nose and around behind their ears.)** Once she had Cam settled, she turned to me. "How long has she been unconscious?"

"Fifteen minutes from the time she first went down." I replied.

"All right. You can go now."

"May I stay with her?" The nurse surveyed me closely, sighed, and then nodded.

"That's fine. Let me know when she comes around." I agreed and then pulled up a chair to sit down near my Gallagher Girl's head. I surprised myself by fiddling with the thin sheet covering her body, since she was now clad in just her white camisole and the shorts she'd been wearing for P&E, and pressing the back of my hand to her cheek to see if her temperature had gone down any. Seven and a half tense minutes later, Headmistress Morgan burst through the doors, followed closely by Mr. Solomon.

"How is she?" Ms. Morgan demanded.

"Cooling off some. She still hasn't - " Cam stirred beside me and my eyes immediately cut to her. Her mother crouched by her other side, sweeping her hand across Cam's forehead, checking her temperature while brushing a few wayward tendrils of hair from her face.

"Hey, kiddo. How are you feeling?"

"Thirsty." She said, her voice hoarse. I immediately got up and grabbed a big plastic cup and filled it to the brim with cool, not cold, water. I knew that if she drank as much water as she needed to, cold water would upset her stomach. I snagged a straw from a jar near the water cooler. I stuck the straw into the cup and held it to her lips. She gave me a weak, sweet smile before taking a long drink. I held it for her as long as she drank, and when the cup ran dry I refilled it and set it on the table beside her. Her mother was now perched on the edge of the bed, smoothing Cammie's long dark hair. She glanced up and looked me straight in the eye.

"Thank you for taking such good care of her, Zach."

"It was no problem, ma'am."

"You should return to class now before you miss too much. You've already missed your chem lab." I nodded and brushed my fingers gently over the back of my Gallagher Girl's hand before walking out the door.

**Solomon POV:**

I never imagined I'd see Zach being so tender with anyone, but then again, I've never seen him so _worried_. He was almost distraught until Ms. Morgan regained consciousness. Rachel caught my attention and we exchanged a look. She glanced back down at her daughter, who was now sleeping, her hand still locked with Rachel's. "Think she'll be all right?"

"She just needs rest. My guess is she was up late with the girls this week and then she's been in the hallways with Zach at all hours of the night, and probably hasn't been eating and drinking enough. Then she pushed herself a little too hard in P&E and all that combined with the heat was just too much for her. I'm going to have her stay in bed tomorrow and hopefully she'll be back to herself and ready to return to classes the following day. Will she be able to keep up in Cove-Ops with tomorrow off?"

"I wouldn't worry about it. Cam's good, just like Matt always said she'd be. It just comes naturally to her. She's going to be a great operative, Rach." I replied. "She'll be ready when she gets her first mission. I owe Matt that and so much more."

Rachel just nodded at me and I opened my arms to give her a hug, rubbing her back gently. Letting go of her, I said goodnight and returned to my room, where I fell into an exhaustedly deep slumber.

**Zach POV:**

Going through classes without Cammie the next day was terrible. I was constantly worried about her, wondering if she was any better than she'd been when I left the infirmary the previous afternoon. The teachers just eyed me speculatively but refrained from commenting, for which I was grateful. I don't think it would be in either of our best interests to say anything about our relationship. _If you can even call it that_… I sighed to myself, running a hand through my dark hair. Joe shot me a sympathetic look that I chose to ignore.

I ate my lunch quickly and snuck up to the girls' dorms to see my Gallagher Girl. I knocked twice on the door and heard a quiet, "Come in," from the other side. I let myself into the unlocked room and found Cammie lying in her bed, propped up with pillows while she did her Advanced Encryption homework.

"How are you feeling?" I asked, gently skimming the back of my hand across her cheek. She gave me a small smile and replied,

"Much better. I never even saw that coming. One minute I'm fine and the next everything was black."

"Yeah, you freaked us out, that's for sure. Do you think you'll be able to go back to class tomorrow?"

"Probably. The nurse has to check me out tonight, and then my mom needs to okay it, but I think I'll go insane being cooped up in here any longer." A Cheshire cat grin suddenly slipped across her face.

"What are you thinking?" I asked warily.

"Wanna help me sneak out of here?"

My lips curved into my trademark smirk. "I was getting bored anyway, and lunch doesn't end for another forty-five minutes, so I don't see why not…" She grinned back at me and slipped out of her bed. She ran a brush through her long dark locks and was about to pull it back into a ponytail when I pulled her hands away. "Leave it down." She looked at me, confused. "I like it down." Her soft voice rang out in a laugh as she brushed her hair off to one side of her neck and then took my hand. I smiled. It was nice to see her so confident in herself.

"Let's go then." Her excitement was obvious, she was practically bouncing over to the door. I laughingly shushed her and we slipped out into the hallway, dodging security cameras and wandering students, until we reached her favorite passageway. She pulled the back the curtain in front of the Gallagher family tree and revealed a passageway I'd only heard about and never had time to investigate myself. She slid in first and I followed, carefully pulling the curtain closed behind us. Knowing that it was unlikely we'd be interrupted here, I pulled her into my arms and kissed her senseless. When we finally pulled away, she was panting and flushed, and I admitted,

"I've been waiting to do that since I left the infirmary yesterday. I would have, but a protective mother and an extremely concerned Covert Operations instructor aren't the best audience to a kiss like that one."

She giggled. "God, my mother probably would've killed you, and I shudder to think what Solomon would have done if you had kissed me right after I'd regained consciousness." We both laughed and I tightened my arms around her as she tucked her head under my chin. I kissed the top of her head gently. The warning bell rang and we looked at each other, panicked, before kissing quickly and racing out of the passage. She reached the top of the stairs, flashed a smile and winked, before vanishing down the corridor to her room. I slung my bag back over my shoulder and headed for P&E, a smirk curving my lips at the memory of the hot kiss we'd shared, and calculating the amount of time before we could do it again.

***A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. In case Zach's behavior isn't making sense, I'm trying to reveal his sensitivity while still keeping that mischievous side to him we've all come to know and love. Also, the first chapter of my Zach/Cammie engagement and wedding story should be up in the next few days, hopefully. My sister is coming home from college tomorrow night and it's kind of frantic around my house getting everything ready for her, so please bear with me over the next several days. Thanks again for the favorites, alerts, and reviews! They motivate me to keep this story going!***


	7. Chapter 7

***A/N: I'm so sorry this is so late! Real life has been incredibly difficult lately, and then I just couldn't come up with an idea for this chapter that wasn't clichéd or repetitive. I always wondered what the teachers were thinking during the last few chapters of Cross My Heart. Thanks for the alerts, favorites and reviews! Please read and review!***

_Recap: I slung my bag back over my shoulder and headed for P&E, a smirk curving my lips at the memory of the hot kiss we'd shared, and calculating the amount of time before we could do it again._

**Solomon POV:**

A week after Cameron's collapse, the faculty (plus Dr. Steve) gathered in the large conference room just outside of Rachel's office in the Hall of History. I sat beside Rachel, who took her place at the head of the table. Patricia was across from me, with the rest of the teachers sitting around the polished oak table. Rachel cleared her throat. "As you all know, the final testing for the girls and boys in Joe's sophomore level Covert Operations course is crucial in determining which of them are capable of continuing on to a career in clandestine field work. The CIA Operative Development Division has requested that we design a practical exam in which the boys and girls will be forced to collaborate without the knowledge that their task is actually their final exam. So I thought that the best way to create a challenging and engaging would be to just bounce suggestions off of each other and perhaps we'll come up with something that is feasible." Nods and agreeable murmurs filled the room, and I started off with a location idea.

"I think our best bet is to use the school-owned warehouse complex for the final, similar to what we did last year. It has enough room for the kids to move around and use all of the skills they've been taught, and gives us several options in terms of making ourselves present and able to watch them execute their "mission."

"Are we all in agreement that the examination should take place at the location Joe suggested?" Everyone gave an affirmative reply, and Rachel breezed on to the next topic. "That brings us to the bigger issue. What exactly will their task be?"

"Obviously it needs to be something that the boys and girls will take seriously and evaluate as a threat." Dr. Steve chimed in, before continuing, "So what if someone 'stole'," he made air-quotes around the word, "the Gallagher Alumni disc and the students are tasked with recovering the disc."

Patricia nodded, tapping her fingers lightly on the table in front of her. "We'd need a Gallagher faculty member as a decoy of sorts, an individual that is capable of delivering a message, albeit a vague one, that explains what we need the boys and girls to do." Mr. Moscowitz spoke up.

"I can act as the decoy." Everyone in the room paused to give that some consideration before ultimately deciding that Mr. Moscowitz would make acceptable candidate for the decoy role.

Rachel wrapped up the meeting at that point, after having set a time for another meeting to discuss more-in depth plans to actually hold the final. Tapping my shoulder, she motioned to me to stay behind after the rest of the faculty and staff departed the conference room. Turning back to me, she asked,

"Can you have a mock-up scenario and some benchmarks written up for me by early next week? I think it would help us to have your plans and goals for the test laid out in front of us when we sit down to really put this together and put the finishing touches on it."

"Of course." I replied. "I have a lot of different ideas running through my head right now, so it would probably be best for all of us to have something written down on paper for us to look at during the meeting next week."

I left the conference room after we addressed any lingering issues. I had just settled myself in my desk chair when a soft knock echoed off my office door. Looking up, I noticed Cammie hovering on the threshold. "Come on in, Ms. Morgan." She smiled hesitantly and put a stack of make-up work on the corner of my desk before turning to leave. I flicked through her papers after she left my office. I noticed a slip of paper tucked in among them with some very familiar handwriting on it.

_'So I hear we get to go into town next Saturday. Wanna catch a movie or something? –Z.' _ I looked at the paper more closely and noticed that she had drawn little hearts around the edge of the scrap of paper. Suddenly I was wondering how much we _really_ knew about Zach and Cammie's budding romance.

Zach POV:

Cam rejoined the rest of the grade for classes the next day, and I calmed down as soon as I walked in to COW to see her alert and joking around with Baxter. She glanced up and smiled as I slipped into my seat across from her. I pretended not to notice when Bex giggled and elbowed Cammie playfully. Mr. Smith called the class to order then, and the hour-long session passed quickly with our discussion of the five most governmentally unstable countries around the world. It was pretty much a routine Friday, even Cove-Ops seemed rather relaxed, with Solomon in a marginally better mood than he had been in the past few days. I chuckled to myself as I wandered through the deserted fourth floor corridor after dinner. It was strange how a routine day for us would seem seriously abnormal and even frightening to a regular civilian. I felt someone slip under my arm and wrap their arm around my waist, and looked down to see Gallagher Girl smiling up at me.

"What are you laughing about, Blackthorne Boy?"

"Just thinking about how seriously weird our 'normal' day would seem to anyone else."

"That's true." She giggled, melting against me. I leaned down and kissed her gently, trying to put all that I felt for her into the kiss. It was affection, respect, support, and adoration all mixed together. She kissed me back, and when we broke the kiss and I was able to look into her eyes, I saw the same emotions I felt reflecting back at me. I smiled tenderly down at her and then glanced at my watch.

"Aren't we supposed to be upstairs for that movie marathon Bex and Grant planned?"

"Oh, right!" Gallagher Girl exclaimed, her eyes widening as she realized that we were now almost twenty minutes late for the 7:00 p.m. start of the first movie. We wheeled around and headed for the common room at a dead run. Laughing, we raced down the stairs, oblivious to the onlookers, (both faculty and students) that watched as I chased Cam down the hallway toward the common room, wrapping my arms around her and spinning her around playfully.

We walked in, and Grant leaned over the beanbag he and Bex were sharing to say suggestively, "Did you and Cammie get a little _sidetracked_, Zach?" I saw Cammie's cheeks flush and my arm tightened protectively around her waist as I opened my mouth to respond to Grant's jab. However, Bex beat me to the punch… _literally_. She cuffed him hard across the back of the head and he grimaced in pain.

"Can we get back to the movie please?" Macey requested exasperatedly. Someone pressed play and the movie started up again. Cammie and I quickly settled behind Macey, who turned around to give her a _you owe me details later_ look when she thought I wasn't paying attention. I muffled a snicker with my hand and Cam elbowed me in the ribs. I nuzzled her gently, making nice after shamelessly laughing at her. She rolled her eyes and deliberately slid about a foot away from me. I leaned over to whisper in her ear,

"C'mon, Gallagher Girl, don't be like that." I took her in my arms and pulled her against my chest. She couldn't resist (much to my satisfaction) and cuddled up to me to watch the rest of the movie. Which, by the way, was _The Bourne Ultimatum_, apparently one of Bex's favorite movies of all time. The movie marathon ended at around eleven, and Cammie kissed me goodnight before going to join her roommates in their suite. I hustled back to my own room in the East Wing and settled myself in front of my laptop with earbuds in to listen and watch the audio-visual feeds we'd set up in the girls' room just recently, after acquiring the knowledge that they had, in fact, bugged our room first. The screen came up with the feed from our primary camera on it, and I could see the entire suite from just this one vantage point.

They were all scattered around the large room, doing different things to entertain themselves. I chuckled at how completely and totally different they all were, but how that actually made them better friends. Macey was flipping through the latest copy of _Vogue_, Bex was practicing the new kick we'd learned in P&E, and Liz was trying to break through the firewalls protecting the Agency's files requiring the highest levels of clearance. They all dropped what they were doing as soon as the door was closed behind my Gallagher Girl. Bex yanked her over to her bed and sat down next to her. Macey rolled over to face them and said,

"All right, Cam. 'Fess up. Why were you and Zach late tonight?" Macey had a knowing little smirk on her face, so I did not doubt that she knew exactly why we had been late. When Cam had finished the minute-by-minute analysis she'd given Bex, Macey, and Liz and the squeals and 'aww's were out of the way, Macey leaned forward and asked the one question I'd been hoping would be asked since Cam's roommates had begun interrogating her. "So how do you _really_ feel about him, Cammie?"

She ran her hands through her dark hair and whispered, "I think I'm falling in love with him…" I sat back in my chair, stunned. Thinking hard, I wondered just how deep my feelings for Cammie went. I went to sleep that night with one fact resonating on a constant loop in my brain.

_I was in love with Cammie Morgan._

***A/N: Okay, that wraps up this chapter! I hope you guys liked it… I had a really tough time coming up with the chapter and making it as long as you all deserve. I also kind of wanted to show the more playful, carefree side of Cammie and Zach's relationship, and that while it doesn't often appear in the books, Zachary Goode is, in fact, a human being with feelings, even if he doesn't necessarily voice them. Also, I apologize for kind of de-railing from the original plot points in Cross My Heart. Forgive me? Reviews, please!***


	8. Author's Note

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

PLEASE READ!

I'm so unbelievably sorry for the ridiculous wait. I feel like I've hit a wall with this story and I'm not sure what to do about it. Ideas and/or suggestions would be much appreciated. I hate doing this to you guys, and I know how much it sucks to get an author's note instead of a chapter, but please know that I'm doing everything I can to pull together a good chapter and get it posted ASAP. Please don't give up on the story, and know that I certainly haven't. I've just got an awful case of writers' block.

Thank you so much!

-nycgirl1996


	9. Chapter 8

***Hey, guys! I am so, so, so sorry that I haven't updated in so long. Real life has been hectic and dramatic and the timing just hasn't been right. Thanks so much all of your reviews… they are incredibly sweet and encourage me to keep writing my stories. Please leave me some love!***

Recap: She ran her hands through her dark hair and whispered, "I think I'm falling in love with him…" I sat back in my chair, stunned. Thinking hard, I wondered just how deep my feelings for Cammie went. I went to sleep that night with one fact resonating on a constant loop in my brain.

_I was in love with Cammie Morgan_

**Third Person POV:  
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One would think that the teachers and students of the Gallagher Academy would be outside enjoying the clear, sunny weather of that May afternoon, but the girls and boys were locked away studying for finals, and in small groups the teachers were slipping out to work on setting up the warehouse for the Covert Operations exam. By the end of the day, the stage had been set and the teachers reconvened in the office of Headmistress Rachel Morgan.

**Joe Solomon POV:**

As I made my way from the mansion's back entrance to Rachel's office in the Hall of History, I pondered the events to come over the next few days. I honestly couldn't remember ever being excited about testing at Blackthorne, but with the Covert Operations final just twenty-four hours out, I couldn't wait to see how the kids would perform. At the same time I was anxious. Though I knew I'd taught them to the best of my ability, I wouldn't know how well they retained that information until they were under the proverbial gun and had to deliver the goods. Not to mention the fact that my best friend's daughter was in the class, and I owed it to him to make sure that she entered the field with the skills that she would need to ensure her safety. Oh, and my might-as-well-be son Zach Goode was taking the same final. I needed some migraine meds, and soon. I tapped lightly on the door to Rach's office and she let me in with an easy smile on her face, leading the way to the conference room adjacent to the main office.

"Everything's all ready to go?" She asked as she slid gracefully into the high-backed leather chair at the head of the glossy oak table.

"Yes," I replied, "Trip wires and heat sensors have been set, doors and windows rigged to alarms, and ultra-sensitive, miniscule cameras placed at strategic points in the warehouse complex. It should be a fair test of their abilities." The rest of the staff nodded. Dr. Steve spoke up,

"Patricia delivered the disc to my office this morning. I'll take care of the rest once we arrive at the complex." Rachel smiled and opened the file folder in front of her.

"As planned, three of Blackthorne's instructors have been provided with disguises and will be roaming around Roseville during the town day on Saturday. Our hope is that the boys and girls will notice and tail them and ultimately end up working together to retrieve the disc. With the exception of Harvey and Steve, the rest of us will be aboard the Academy's 737 and will be looping just out of sight-range of the complex, with audio and visual feeds of the activities of the students on the ground. Are we in agreement?" A resounding 'yes' echoed through the conference room. "Perfect. In that case, I believe we're finished here. Thank you, and I'll see you all tomorrow morning." Rachel closed the meeting brightly and stood as we all left her office.

**Zach POV: **

Nick, Jonas, and I were splayed out on the floor of our suite, surrounded by notes and empty cans of Red Bull. We, like the majority of sixteen-year-old guys, do in fact consume energy drinks, although this particular batch had been spiked with Jonas' signature energy-boost concoction he'd come up with during our eighth grade year, when Blackthorne had given us a test that required our staying up for thirty-six hours straight. Fortunately, it didn't have the crash effect of regular Red Bull or say, coffee. After a solid six hours of homework and review, we had given in and sent Grant to get the girls in the hopes of finding a way of entertaining ourselves. Or that was what we'd all convinced ourselves of. In reality, we just wanted to see them. Joe had made a point of separating Cammie and I as much as possible over the last few weeks, and I was getting aggravated. I wanted time with my girl, even if it had to be around our sometimes-obnoxious roommates.

Grant appeared in the doorway with Cammie, Bex, Liz and Macey in tow. Cammie strode toward me in a pair of jean short-shorts and a dark purple long-sleeved Gallagher shirt. She held a stack of DVD cases in her right hand and offered them to me as she sank down into my lap with a soft sigh. "Movie night?" She requested, resting her head on my shoulder.

"You just want an excuse to make out with your boyfriend, Cams." Bex quipped. Cam aimed a well-placed kick at her shin, and the girls then engaged in a quick but silent sparring match on the floor in the middle of our suite. Grant and I glanced at each other before yanking them away from each other. I tossed her over my shoulder and then dropped her carefully onto my bed. Just then a sharp knock sounded on the doorframe.

"Ladies, gentlemen, I do believe the Gallagher Academy has a policy about having members of the opposite sex in the one another's dorms…" Joe drawled, smirking at me. I cursed under my breath in Swahili and Joe's eyebrows rose. "What was that, Mr. Goode?"

"Nothing, nothing." I grumbled. Just to get in one last jab at Joe's patience, I wrapped my arms around Cam's waist and engaged her in a searing kiss. Her cheeks took on a pink tint when I pulled away, and her eyes were visibly glazed.

"Ms. Morgan, Ms. Sutton, Ms. Baxter, and Ms. McHenry! Out, NOW!" Joe shouted, glaring daggers at me. The girls departed, giggling. "Not funny, Zach." He fumed. "Let me warn you now, if you put one foot wrong with Cammie, one ounce of unwanted pressure, you will face the consequences from both myself and Rachel. As a matter of fact, that goes for all four of those girls. Am I making myself clear, gentlemen?"

"Yes, sir." We muttered, years of Blackthorne training kicking in. We slumped on the floor to study as Joe stormed out of the room.

I waited at the bottom of the Grand Stairs for Cammie on Saturday evening, ready to leave for Roseville and catch a movie with my girlfriend, sans adult interruption. She emerged in a rose-colored tank top and soft gray hoodie with skinny jeans and black Converse. Her dark hair fell in loose waves around her shoulders, framing her face. She wore only light makeup. I nuzzled her neck as she settled against my side, my arm around her waist. I noted the lightly fruity scent of her perfume as I pressed my nose against her pulse point.

**Joe Solomon POV:**

Three and a half hours later, Rachel, Patricia, Fibs, several CIA types and myself sat in the Gallagher Academy's smaller plane, listening to the comms units in the ears of our sophomore class. The girls had discovered the tails and were racing around campus to recover napotine patches, rappel-a-cord, tool kits and other helpful objects after realizing that none of the teachers were currently on campus. Then we heard Harvey's voice explaining to Liz and Bex that the Alumni disc had been stolen, and that they were our only chance of retrieving the all-important list. The boys were seemingly nowhere to be found, a fact that worried our little group of adults.

Then we heard the tell-tale voice of Macey McHenry and the screech of tires coming to an abrupt halt on the Academy's gravel drive. "Get in!" Cammie astounded response,

"You stole a Gallagher Academy van."

"Commandeered, Cam. When I couldn't get into the mansion, and I heard the Code Black sirens, I _commandeered_ a van. And yes, that's something that troublemaking debutantes learn _before_ they go to spy school." Macey replied nonchalantly. We all burst into laughter. Trust Macey to put her spin on things. Who knew her occasionally-entitled attitude could be an asset in a crisis?

"Liz, what are the coordinates of the tracker?" Bex asked.

"Tracker?" Rachel repeated, blown away. "Who on earth would they plant a tracker on?"

"They planted one on you last semester, Rach." I pointed out. She huffed and shook her head, and I noticed the remarkable resemblance between mother and daughter.

"They're headed away from us… towards the warehouse complex where we had our Cove-Ops midterm last semester."

"What would the boys be doing there?"

"They planted trackers on the boys…" Rachel murmured, torn between anger and amusement.

"No offense, Rachel, but that sounds _exactly_ like something Cameron would do." Patricia remarked casually. Rachel just pressed her face into her hands.

"She is _so_ like Matthew, it's not even funny."

"That's not a bad thing, Ms. Morgan." Director Cohen soothed. "Matt was a phenomenal spy. You know that."

The next sound out of the comms audio system in the plane was the definitive sound of a van door being thrown open and the soft thuds of sneakers leaping out onto a hard-packed dirt surface. The girls murmured to each other, and then we heard Cam exclaim, "Liz, watch out! Trip wire!" She paused to address the other girls. "Split into pairs and search the place. The boys and the disc are somewhere around here." The sound of running feet accompanied quick breaths, and then a struggle ensued, followed by the buzz of rappel-a-cord through pulleys. "Cammie! It's me, it's Zach." A pair of heavy thuds signaled that the two of them had just dropped to the ground.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just throw you off this roof right now." Cammie said sharply.

"Dr. Fibs, can you pull up the night vision cameras on the roofs of the buildings?" Rachel asked. He did just that, and we all crowded around the laptop screen to see where Cammie and Zach were fighting on the roof of the larger building in the northwest corner of the complex. She pinned him with his arm behind his back.

"What's going on, Zach?" Cam asked heatedly. "Who was that man in town? How did you find this place? Who is down there, and what are they going to do with the list?"

"Well first of all, ouch," Zach hissed, "Second, I came back to school after you ditched me in town with Jimmy – "

"Josh!" Cam corrected harshly. I saw Rachel shake her head and I said,

"She still hasn't recovered from that, has she?"

"Not entirely, no. He was her first boyfriend, and then it all fell apart. Worse than that, it ended up being put under a CIA microscope. It was the last thing she wanted to see happen." Then the words coming through the comms caught our attention again.

"I came back to the school after you ditched me – thanks for that, by the way. Then it's all Code Black again and you and your whole class were gone. We figured you'd tracked us, so we tweaked the signal so we could follow your tracking mechanism. And here we are."

"Who's we?"

"Seriously, Gallagher Girl, that hurts like a – _Ow_!" I guessed that Cammie had twisted his arm harder. "Grant, Jonas, some of the juniors. They're here, too. They're out there with your girls." On the laptop feed, we saw Cam try to say something into the comms and Zach utilize her distraction to roll her until she was pinned underneath him. "Cammie, look at me!" He snapped, "Gallagher Girl…" Zach tried again, his voice softening. Rachel and I exchanged a glance.

"You lied." She stated simply. "I know you lied in town, Zach. I know you've seen that man who was on our tail."

"That's what this is about?" He asked incredulously. "You ditched me in town and organized a war party because I lied to you about knowing that guy?"

"No, I organized a war party because someone knocked out Mr. Moscowitz and stole the Gallagher Academy Alumni list!" Zach drew in a sharp breath and we all smiled at each other. The plan was working perfectly, they were going to be forced to work together to get the disc back.

"Here, look at it!" We could see Zach lift Cammie's right hand in front of her face.

"The truth ring I had them use in class a few weeks ago." I identified, seeing my colleagues' curious stares. "I didn't know she was still wearing it." We turned back to the comms audio.

"Or better yet, look at me. Watch my eyes, Cammie. I'm not lying. I'd seen that guy with Dr. Steve and didn't want to blow his cover. I had no idea he was a threat. I thought he was on a training op or, I don't know… checking up on us or something. I didn't think it was a big deal. I didn't think it was worth explaining in front of…"

"Josh and DeeDee. Oh, God." The explanations continued until the buzz of rappel-a-cord filled the system as hits and kicks rained down. The girls were making their hit. We heard a great deal of running and yelling, and then,

"What are you _doing_?" Zach whispered to Cameron. I shook my head. Who knew what Cam was up to?

"Hey, can one of you guys come and give me a hand with this?" She mimicked a scarily accurate representation of a male voice. Punches were thrown and a body much larger than Cammie's fell heavily to the ground.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Zach asked, stunned. "P.E?"

"No, Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Cam responded. The adults on the plane burst into hysterical laughter.

"Only your daughter, Rachel." One of the CIA guys said through his laughs. The plane began its descent and we all stood, knowing that the final minutes of the task we'd set were upon us. The plane touched down, the doors opened, and we saw Cam racing through puddles after Dr. Steve. He stopped feet from the steps to the plane and she spat,

"I believe you have something that belongs to us."

Steve replied, "I believe you're just a little… too… late." Bex had him in one of her patented chokeholds, which I had heard were severely unpleasant to say the least. I stepped out behind him and took in Cam's disbelieving expression as I said,

"Forty-two minutes. Not bad."

"You?" She said, shocked, "You did this?"

"Well, I had some help." Rachel eased down at my side. Cam shook her head.

"Good job, everyone." She praised. Cam's lips pursed. I could tell she was bordering between an exhausted melt-down and attempting to throttle her mother. We stepped out onto the tarmac and the plane took off into the dusky sky. The rest of the teachers headed to the vans, and as the kids walked away, I called, "And welcome to Sublevel Two."

***A/N: Ok, so that's pretty much it for this story! Maybe one or two more chapters. Thanks for sticking with me, and again I apologize for the ridiculously long wait. Enjoy!***


	10. Chapter 10

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I apologize profusely for giving all of my wonderful and supportive readers with an AN instead of a new chapter. My grandfather was recently diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's Disease, and we don't know how long he has left to live. We're trying to spend as much time with him as we can and preparing ourselves for the worst. It's been a stressful few weeks for my family. I promise you that I will update both Zach's Distraction and A Diamond is Forever as soon as possible. Please be patient with me as my family and I deal with this difficult situation.


	11. Chapter 11

***** A/N: Hey everyone! I think this is the last chapter of ZD, but we'll see if I get struck with an idea for an outtake or something down the road. REVIEW PLEASE! PRETTY PLEASE! I'M DYING TO KNOW WHAT YOU GUYS THINK!*****

_EPILOGUE: GRADUATION DAY_

ZPOV:

After two and a half years of coming in and out of the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, I stood alone in the East Wing suite I'd shared with Grant, Nick, and Jonas. Our duffel bags were stacked on the beds, graduation caps and gowns hanging in the all but empty closets. Our final grades had been calculated and each of us had jobs lined up starting the following fall. Liz and Jonas were both going to work for the Research and Development Division at the CIA Headquarters at Langley. Grant was following Bex to MI6 (though he insisted it was because the British had an awesome accent). Cammie and I had both been accepted to the CIA's Deep Cover Training Program. I heaved a sigh and straightened my skinny black tie before grabbing my cap and gown and walking towards the corridor behind the entrance to the Grand Hall. The graduation guests were being ushered in through a different entrance, and the graduates were meeting in a different spot prior to the processional.

I scanned the small crowd of faculty, staff and graduates, looking for my girlfriend and our best friends. I spotted her leaning against the stone wall with the girls, her hair in soft waves spilling over the white silk of the graduation gown. Moving quickly, I wrapped my arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck. "Hi, baby." I said quietly.

"Hey, Z." She replied softly, melting into my embrace. "I can't believe we're graduating… It feels like just yesterday that you snuck into my life and turned my world upside down." She smiled up at me, her gorgeous sapphire eyes sparkling. I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers. Pulling back, I was struck by just how far we had come.

From hating each other's guts and competing over every little thing to racing through the streets of Roseville on training ops, to jumping off of warehouse roofs, to colliding in the middle of a dark street in Washington D.C., to saving each other's lives more times than either of us can count. Cammie and I had come a long way. She'd gone from being a thorn in my side to being a friend and confidant, to being the love of my life, and the girl I planned on marrying in the not-too-distant future. Together, we had taken down my mother and the Circle of Cavan. From that point on we were sure that myself, Cammie, and our future children would be safe. Standing in that hallway, I flashed back to the climax of our battle against the Circle…

_The comms unit in my ear crackled with feedback, but at least I knew it was still working. We were deep in Grand Canyon, hoping to take down my mother and the Circle once and for all. I could hear Liz hissing instructions in my ear as I hopped over a series of trip wires and sprayed a freezing film on the motion sensors ahead of me. Grant was moving smoothly beside me, and Bex and Cammie were a little ways west of us. A team of about fifteen CIA agents were enclosing the Circle's compound, with backups a couple of miles south and air support circling above us. I disabled one last booby trap and we were in. "Comms are silent from here out, unless there's an emergency. Everybody's trackers activated?" I received a series of "Ten-four"'s in reply. We all had one of Jonas's special non-detectable trackers implanted in bodies, so if anyone went missing or was captured, we would be able to find them no matter what. Grant and I took a series of steep staircases, keeping one eye on the screen of our watches, which had a computer model of the compound and everyone in it. That way we could detect anyone approaching us and be prepared for it. I noticed a team of red enemy dots moving quickly from the south, and Grant and I quickly armed ourselves. The goons came out swinging, and we were engaged in hand-to-hand combat. I heard a series of beeps over the comms and knew that Cammie, Bex, Nick and Macey were on their way to assist us. The next thing I saw was Cammie round-housing one of them in the head and he dropped like a fly. We dispatched the remaining goons in rapid succession and continued forward. We entered a series of rooms with weapons drawn and then I saw her. My bitch of a mother stood, hip cocked, at the end of the hallway. I growled under my breath._

_ "Aw, Zachary. You've come to see me… and you brought your darling girlfriend with you, too! How precious." Her eyes glinted maliciously and I was done. I flung myself forward, throwing punches as I went. An additional troupe of goons had come to support my mother, but they were sadly outnumbered and out-fought. Grant and Bex were thoroughly enjoying themselves as they rendered two of the goons unconscious by knocking their heads together. Cam cackled next to me as she sprung off of the wall and landed behind my mother, putting her in a head lock as I zip-tied her hands. "Are you going to kill me, Zach?" My female-version-of-a-sperm-donor simpered. _

_ "No, that would make it too easy for you. I'm gonna hand you over to Rachel, Abby, Joe, and the others and let them make you pay for the hell you've put them through." I snarled, grabbing her by the back of the neck. With Cammie securing her legs, we dragged her out into the fading daylight, where an Agency helicopter was waiting. Once she was locked up with the Baxters and a team of agents that we were positive had no connection to the Circle, Cam and I turned back, and I flicked my comms back on. "Search the place." I ordered. "Slap a few napotine patches on anyone you find with Circle connections. Then tie 'em up and leave 'em just outside the entrance to the Compound. A few Agency choppers will pick them up." Cam and I met up with the others and began to search the network of underground tunnels, aided by the computer model Liz and Jonas had generated from intel we'd collected. After all the red dots had been accounted for, there were still a couple of unknown thermal imaging signatures in a room toward the back of the compound. _

_ "Captives?" I heard Cammie ask Liz. _

_ "I would think so. All of our known enemy agents have been captured and accounted for. Proceed with caution, though, Chameleon." _

_ "Ten-four, Bookworm." She replied. We reached the door to the room and glanced at each other. Bex and Grant were just behind us, and Macey and Nick were on their way to us. Cam squared her shoulders and took a couple of paces back, preparing to kick in the door. I nodded and she let loose an all-mighty blow that sent the door flying in pieces. We moved in carefully and were shocked at what we found. _

_ Cammie ran forward. "Daddy." She whispered. "We're here. We're gonna bring you home." Matthew Morgan was chained to the wall, beaten and bloodied but still alive and alert. His eyes registered his recognition of his daughter and lit up. As she used a laser to sever the chains binding him, I produced a pocket knife and cut his gag loose. He looked me up and down. _

_ "Agent Zachary Goode, CIA." I identified myself. "Let's get you out of here, Agent Morgan." He nodded. I motioned to Grant and together we grabbed him under the arms and carried him out into the fading daylight. A last chopper was hovering, and touched down as we approached. Rachel jumped out of it, sprinting at full speed toward us. _

_ "Matt!" She shrieked, flinging her arms around him. Tears flowed from her eyes, but she pulled back and steadied herself. "Let's get all of you the hell out of here, and someone can fill me in." The flight back to Langley was spent giving Matthew I.V. fluids and nutrients, as well as allowing Liz to provide some much needed medical attention, as well as one of her patented fast-acting, super-powerful antibiotics that would cure any infection he might be carrying. He leaned back in the seat, his eyes roving over all of us, but focusing in with laser sharp focus on Cammie and I. He seemed to understand that there was some kind of relationship between the two of us, but he was too mentally, emotionally and physically overwhelmed to process it all. We touched down at Langley, where word had spread that Matthew Morgan was alive and safe. Joe and Abby were waiting on the tarmac. They joyously greeted their best friend, with Joe's eyes growing slightly misty. They helped him to the infirmary, where he was allowed to rest comfortably while Cammie, Bex, Liz, Jonas, Grant, Nick, myself and all of the other agents involved filled out our seemingly endless reports and paperwork. _

_ When we finally finished, we met with the Director, who gave Cammie a big hug and thanked all of us for our hard work. He also announced that a number of the captured Circle personnel had begun talking, and we were quickly getting all of the information we needed to lock these people up and throw away the key. My mother wouldn't say a word, but we weren't concerned about her. I, for one, couldn't care less about what happened to her, as long as she couldn't harm anyone ever again._

Now, almost six months later, Matthew had been brought back up to speed with everything that had happened since he went MIA. Needless to say, he was incredibly suspicious of everything that went on between Cammie and myself. Eventually he would have to accept that I was a fixture in his daughter's life, but for now he was just grateful to us for bringing him home and putting an end to the Circle once and for all. I would say, though, that the hardest adjustment for him was seeing Cam as an eighteen-year-old woman, when the last time he'd seen her she was just a little girl. Now she was a fully-trained spy, and as good a pavement artist as the espionage community had ever seen. Their relationship really blossomed as her father healed, and they spent a great deal of time talking, with Cammie filling her father in on everything the Circle had done and how she and I had ended up meeting in the first place. I had slowly begun to forge a bond with my girlfriend's father, especially when he realized that Joe had watched me grow up and could vouch for me.

Now I stood with Cammie and our friends, preparing to graduate after four years of some of the craziest trials and triumphs I'm sure we'll ever experience. We formed our lines and entered the ballroom to the traditional strains of "Pomp and Circumstance". Rachel's speech passed in a blur, and before I knew it, we were receiving our diplomas and flipping our tassels. We walked out onto the lawn, gathering in a big crush of people for the cap toss and pictures. I saw a beaming Cammie in her parents' arms, just before I was engulfed by one of Joe's rarely-seen bear hugs. "I'm so proud of you, Zach." He said, taking me firmly by the shoulders and looking me straight in the eyes. I hugged him fiercely. This guy had been the closest thing to a father figure in my life since I turned sixteen. We separated and I was herded away with the other graduates to change for the party.

I was walking down towards my room when I heard the tell-tale fast clicking of a girl running in heels. I turned to see Cammie rushing toward me. She threw herself into my arms and I lifted her off of her feet, spinning us around. Setting her on the ground, I looked into the eyes of the girl who had so quickly become my everything. She beamed up at me and I pulled her close, kissing her deeply.

"I love you, Cammie." I said, breaking the kiss.

"I love you too, Zach." Together, we turned and took the first steps toward life as real spies, knowing that whatever road lay ahead of us, we'd be walking it together.

***** Sorry if it's a little rough around the edges… I finally replaced my dinosaur computer, but it took a little while to get everything transferred over. I just had a fit of inspiration and wrote 2000 words in an hour. Anyway, this is what I envisioned with the end of the story. I know in the books it says that Cammie found her dad's grave, but to me it just seemed better to end it with her finding her dad and then graduating from Gallagher. So please just remember that I'm just one fanfic writer, and this is what I pictured. I might consider writing some outtakes if people review or PM with suggestions… **_**hint hint wink wink**_*******


	12. Chapter 12

***A/N: Hi everyone! I'm sorry I haven't updated recently. I lost my grandfather to Lou Gehrig's Disease in June, and I started my senior year of high school about a month ago. Anyway, this little plot bunny has been nagging me since I posted the last chapter, but I just haven't had the time to sit down and work on it. I hope you like it! Review, please! ***

**Third Person POV**

Zach glanced at Cammie and whispered something in her ear. She nodded, squeezed his hand, and said, "We'll be back in a while."

The two of them vanished out of Rachel's office and into the Hall of History. Mr. Cohen shook Matthew Morgan's hand. "Good to have you back, Matt," he said, before heading back to the helicopter that would take him back to Langley.

Matthew turned to his wife. He drew her into his arms and kissed her softly. Chuckling, he held her at arms' length and looked her over. "You're just as beautiful as ever."

Rachel smiled, her cheeks pink. "I feel like a teenager again." Matt laughed, and Rachel couldn't help but join in.

"Speaking of teenagers…" Matt said, shaking his head. "Our Cammie, all grown up. It's hard to believe she'll be eighteen in September."

"You're not kidding… the last four years have been so hectic –" The desk phone rang, shattering the conversation. Rachel hurried to answer it. "Gallagher Academy. Director Cohen? I understand. Give me a few minutes to gather some files and pack a bag. I'll be on my way within half an hour." Matthew looked up, confused.

"They need me to fill out some paper work and identify a couple of our agents detained up at Langley. I should be back either late tonight or early tomorrow morning."

"Go, Rach. I'll catch up with Joe." He drew her close, gave her a gentle kiss, and left the office, finding Joe in his office in the Sublevels.

**Matthew POV**

Joe turned around in his desk chair as I walked into his office. "Hey, Matt. How are you doing?"

"Much better. It's still a lot to take in. I'm not totally sold on the idea of Cammie with this boy, either."

"Zach's a good kid. We have to remember that he couldn't choose his family. His mother was a psychopath, but he got himself out of the situation as soon as he could. Protecting Cammie has been his number one priority since the first moment the Circle threatened her." Joe tried to reason with me.

"I get that. It's just that the last time I saw my daughter, she was twelve and we were reading the Washington Post on our living room floor. Now she's almost eighteen, taking down terrorist groups and apparently head over heels in love with some guy that I met for the first time when he was pulling me out of a cell in the tombs. I have no idea what he's about, and what the dynamic of their relationship is. The father and the agent in me are both going insane."

"Want me to help you fill in the blanks?" He offered.

"That might not be a bad idea. After all, you've been teaching both of them for the last three years, and evidently had some role in these operations."

Joe chuckled. "You could say that. I guess I'll start with how I ended up here at Gallagher, then. Rachel called me the summer before Cammie's sophomore year. She said that the school was in need of a Covert Operations instructor, and she felt that she had a vested interest in the selection, as her daughter was going to be on the Cove-Ops track within the year. As soon as I heard that Cam was involved, I was on board. I felt that I owed it to you to make sure that she got the training she needed to be successful out in the field, and I knew that I could do that. So I came in and started teaching – met Cammie and her friends right away. Baxter's daughter Rebecca was admitted into the same incoming seventh grade class as Cam. Around Christmas time the board of Trustees at Gallagher approached Rachel and I about an exchange with Blackthorne for the spring semester."

"Wait, so this was essentially the Trustees deciding that the girls needed to interact with another group of spies?"

"More or less, but that had to do with the civilian boy Cam was seeing during the fall of her sophomore year and the revelation that they needed to give the girls some exposure to the male population before they started trying to find boys themselves."

"It would seem that my daughter is more like me in personality than we originally thought…"

"Yeah, she can be a handful, that's for sure! Anyway, the exchange with Blackthorne started as a training op dealing with identifying and losing tails at the Mall in D.C. Then the fifteen boys, sophomores, juniors, and seniors, moved into the East Wing here at Gallagher, and that's when Zach and Cammie's bond started to develop. She hated him at the start because he'd beaten her at her own pavement-artist game. She's known at school and in intelligence circles as _the Chameleon_, because she blends in so well and can tail just about anyone. But for some reason, Zach could always see her. They eventually built a cautious friendship. Zach was the one that started pursuing Cam romantically, not that she was really opposed." I shook my head. I didn't like that thought – not one bit. "A date and training-op/final exam later, Gallagher let out for the summer and the boys returned to Blackthorne. That summer, Cammie was Macey McHenry's guest at the National Convention in Boston because her dad was on the ballot with Senator Winters. The Circle made its first of two kidnapping attempts that weekend. Another kidnapping attempt was made later that fall in D.C. Both were thwarted, thank God. I went off-grid for a while because I knew I was being pursued as a double agent. I was able to get a hold of Cammie long enough to give her the clues to the key that would translate the codes in your journal. She, her roommates, Zach and his friends infiltrated the tombs at Blackthorne and I think you know what happens from there…"

I shook my head incredulously. My daughter had brushed with the horrible realities of life in the espionage business before she was even out of high school. She'd risked her life on numerous occasions, and asked the ones she loved to risk their lives as well. It weighed heavily on me that I couldn't have protected her, shielded her from all of this. But I realized that she not only saved my life, but she bonded with her sisters in a way that was going to last a lifetime, and may very well have met the man I might eventually call my son-in-law.

"Speaking of Zach, any idea where he is? I think he and I need to have a little chat."

"He's probably upstairs with Cammie in the pigeon tower. They think we don't know that's where they go to hide out when they want some time alone." I tried to hide how much it bothered me that they allowed my teenage daughter to be alone with her boyfriend. Joe could always read me like a book, though, and he just laughed at my discomfort. I turned around and wove back through the sublevels and up to the staircase leading to the pigeon tower.

What I found made me smile indulgently, thinking of the first years of my relationship with Rachel. Cam was sound asleep with her head on Zach's chest, his leather jacket over her and his arm around her waist. His free hand swept gently through her long hair and he gazed down on her with a soft smile on his face. I cleared my throat quietly, trying not to wake Cammie. Zach looked up and nodded at me, then back down to where Cammie was shifting in her sleep. "Shhh, sweetheart. Go back to sleep. I have you, you're safe."

"M'kay…" She said sleepily, snuggling into him. I stood still for a couple of minutes as she settled back into a deep sleep. Then I moved to sit on the floor next to the young man who was currently cradling my sleeping daughter like she was the most precious thing in his world. When I thought about it, there was a distinct possibility that she was. I glanced over at Zach. "She means a lot to you, doesn't she?"

"She's everything to me, Agent Morgan. Cammie is the only person who didn't immediately define me by who my mom is. She's been through hell and back because my mom decided she wanted to lead a terrorist organization, but she never once took that out on me. I can't put into words my regret that you and Cammie were harmed by my vindictive bitch of a mother." Zach suddenly looked too tired, too worn to be just shy of eighteen. I placed my hand on his shoulder.

"I appreciate that, Zach, but it was never your fault. You were just a kid – your mother was the adult. I can't blame you for a grown woman's decisions. I should be thanking you for protecting my little girl when I couldn't."

"The moment I laid eyes on her I knew there would never be any other option than to keep her safe."

"And that's exactly why I know I can trust you with my Cammie. I don't know if she's told you, but her nightmares have come back with a vengeance. She's barely sleeping. So to see her resting so comfortably with you reassures me that you're good for her."

"She's good for me, too. Before I met Cammie, I could only imagine coming home to an empty apartment after missions, getting drunk and leaving the next morning for another assignment. Now I see a real future. Finishing school, going into the Agency, working. But also being able to come home to the woman I love, and the one you'll hopefully someday give me your blessing to marry."

"Zach, you've proved a lot to me since you pulled me out of the tombs. You not only saved my life, but you very well might have saved my wife and daughter's as well. And just know that when you do decide to ask for my blessing, you'll have it." I squeezed his shoulder and stood up.

"Take good care of her, Zach. Believe me, I'll know if you don't."

"Don't worry, Agent Morgan. She's my number-one priority."  
>"Good. And it's Matt, by the way."<p>

_I turned and headed down the stairs, confident that Zach would always love and protect my baby girl. _


End file.
